- Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs CS Salim Mvurya launched the bid on Thursday at the IMO headquarters in London, UK.
- Kenya is finishing the 2022-23 biennium. It has held the position since 2001 and has been re-elected every time since.
Image: BRIAN OTIENO
Kenya has officially launched her bid for re-election in Category ‘c’ of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council for the 2024-25 biennium.
IMO is a UN agency that leads international efforts to promote safer shipping on cleaner oceans.
Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs CS Salim Mvurya launched the bid on Thursday at the IMO headquarters in London, UK.
Voting is expected to be done on December 1, when the Assembly meets for its 33rd session between November 27 and December 6, in which they will elect 40 members of the council.
Category ‘a’ has 10 states with the largest interest in providing international shipping services and candidates, this category includes Greece, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Norway, Panama and the US.
Category ‘b’ has 10 states with the largest interest in international seaborne trade.
It has 10 candidates including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.
Category ‘c’ constitutes states not in ‘a’ or ‘b’ that have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.
This category has 25 candidates for the 20 slots available.
Kenya will be battling it out with 24 other states including the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Finland and Indonesia.
Others are Jamaica, Jordan, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.
Kenya is finishing the 2022-23 biennium. It has held the position since 2001 and has been re-elected every time since.
This term ends in December.
Mvurya led a huge delegation including Shipping and Maritime PS Shadrack Mwadime, High Commissioner to London Manoah Esipisu, Kenya Maritime Authority chairprson Hamisi Mwaguya, Ambassador Nancy Karigithu and Act KMA director general John Omingo.
The launch happened as Kenya celebrated 50 years since joining the Imo in 1973.
Mvurya said Kenya remains committed to the ideals of the Imo and will continue to work with member states in the spirit of cooperation and friendship to address shipping challenges.
“The globe is also faced with matters of climate change and the blue economy is not an exception. Kenya is providing leadership in Africa to focus on how we can mobilise together our resources and capacities and address matters of climate change,” the CS said in London.
He noted that together, the world can achieve the dreams of de-carbonisation through regulations and through learning from each other.
“We will work together to make the globe a better place for all of us,” he said.
He noted that international trade globally happens on the high seas.
“Therefore we cannot run away from addressing issues being raised internationally on how to protect our marine environment,” Mvurya said.
“We have a good legal framework where we can cascade all the international regulations from IMO so that we can be properly informed and comply as the industry demands.”
Kenya has complied with all the requirements.
“Therefore, as we renew our membership, we have learned our lessons,” Mvurya said.
Image: BRIAN OTIENO